A Tiny Apartment, A Huge Film Tale
Meet Makram Salama, a 72‑year‑old film aficionado who turned a cramped flat into a time‑machine for Arabic cinema. In Alexandria, his museum‑turned‑garage houses a dizzying array of negatives, posters and old‑school projectors that shout the glory days of Egypt’s silver screen.
From Sugar Cane to Silver Screens
Salama’s journey started in a sugar‑cane factory back in southern Egypt. Slowly, his little treasure trove grew from hand‑picked postcards and flyers to a thousands‑piece army of film memorabilia—left behind when studios switched from celluloid to digital.
What’s Inside the Vault?
- 50 vintage cinema projectors that still sing their own funky tunes.
- A rare 1932 poster for The Egyptian Author—old enough to have survived the Great Flood of Suez.
- Photographs and posters from his hometown, stitched into a quilt of cultural heritage.
- Hard‑to‑find reels and scripts from the golden age of Egyptian cinema.
Egyptian Cinema: The Rise & Fall
In the mid‑20th century, Egypt boasted one of the world’s largest film industries. It sent stars like Omar Sharif to the global spotlight. But political shifts and rival Arab cinemas gradually pushed the industry into the shadows.
Fear of the Future
Salama worries about protecting his legacy. His two sons live abroad and view the collection as an expensive hobby, not a reason to keep the priceless past alive. He invested his earnings from running a marine‑services firm in Suez to build this museum—an emotional investment that’s almost as deep as the sea he once navigated.
For a Glimpse into a Lost Era
As the last film reels dust off in his tiny museum, Salama’s story reminds us that some treasures belong to the world, not just your kids’ lazy weekends.
Picture‑perfect Decisions: Selling or Safekeeping
When the old archivist answered the question about whether to sell the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser‘s negatives, he chuckled and said he’d keep a few special ones. “I can’t sell anything that feels like a national treasure,” he said.
From the Heart of Egypt to the Desert’s Silence
In a world that once had cinemas popping up in every corner—from provincial towns to offshore oil camps—most of those silver screen gems have gone the way of the dinosaurs.
“It’s all gone, and I’m super sad,” he sighed.
“Back in the day, cinema was the second biggest thing after cotton,” he lamented, feeling the loss like a collector losing a prized painting.
Figuring Out the Numbers
- In 2018, Egypt had 78 functioning cinemas, mostly clustered around Greater Cairo and Alexandria.
- By 2010, that count had been 110, which shows a downward trend.
- The official statistics agency, CAPMAS, released an annual culture survey to back up these figures.
- Interestingly, ten regions—mostly the southern parts of the country—have absolutely zero cinemas.
More Than Just Movie Screens: Museums and Galleries
Beyond the flicks, museums and galleries are filling the gap, trying to capture the same essence of culture that the silver screens once held. They’re the new stage where stories unfold, one exhibit at a time.
